Chinese Hepatitis- B campaign: A Success Story

The health officials will have to quicken their pace to reach the remaining two-thirds by the scheduled deadline next year.

The 76 million US dollar project, co-funded by the Chinese Government and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations (GAVI), began in 2002, the year the government included hepatitis B in their routine childhood immunization programme.

The campaign while focusing on children below the age of 5 years, includes 6 million newborns annually, and has had a good coverage, from babies born in hospitals, to those born in the tents of nomadic herds.

China's endeavor is a model for countries struggling to contain the spread of the dreaded hepatitis- B virus and other preventable diseases.